A Denham Springs motorcycle dealership sales manager, convicted of money laundering, was denied a new trial request and ordered to report to jail, United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr. said in a news release.

Kevin Calmes, 40, of Denham Springs, filed a request for a new trial claiming a discovery of new evidence.

U.S. District Judge Lance Africk, however, denied Calmes’ request and ordered the sales manager to report to jail on Feb. 6 to begin service of his 30-month prison term.

A Baton Rouge jury found Calmes and Calmes Motorsports guilty last August.

Calmes was convicted of money laundering, one count of failure to file required reports of cash transactions, and three counts of structuring transactions in order to evade cash reporting requirements.

The motorcycle dealership was convicted of one count of failure to file required reports of cash transactions and three counts of structuring transactions in order to evade cash reporting requirements.

Along with Calmes 30-month prison term, he is sentenced with two years of supervised release and forfeiture of all property involved in, or used to facilitate, the money laundering and structuring transactions, including forfeiture of $24,000 associated with the sale of two particular motorcycles.

Calmes Motorsports was a Denham Springs dealership, which marketed and sold motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles to the public.

The 40-year-old was the sale manager of the dealership and in his role; he negotiated and knowingly approved of sales with known drug traffickers, and took various actions to conceal their spending of large amounts of cash generated from narcotics trafficking.

At the trial, the state presented evidence that the dealership and Calmes conspired with at least seven drug traffickers to launder proceeds of narcotics trafficking and to avoid filing reports of their use of cash more than $10,000.

The laundering of drug traffickers’ cash proceeds occurred between January 2000 and April 2009.

The dealership was sentenced to pay a fine of $500,000, placed on probation for three years, and ordered to forfeit property involved in, or used to facilitate, the money laundering and structuring transactions.

As a condition of probation, the company was also sentenced to certain conditions, which will monitor their finances and business operation.

The convictions and sentences are the result of a lengthy investigation by agents of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Rene Salomon and Shubhra Shivpuri prosecuted the case.